


Colours of My Rainbow

by ChisanaItchi, HereStrikesDawn



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Family Bonding, Family Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Mystery, Other, Sick Character, first SU fic, light-hearted breaks from angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-06-24 13:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15631542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChisanaItchi/pseuds/ChisanaItchi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HereStrikesDawn/pseuds/HereStrikesDawn
Summary: It happened to Steven once. His glowing green gem. Nobody knew what it was.But it came back, and this time it (whatever it was) was here to stay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own SU. I'm so glad it was created though!
> 
> This is my first SU fic and loosely follows canon. Details will be revealed in the fic.
> 
> Some specifics may be inaccurate but I need to take some creative liberties for the plot. If any characters seem OOC, please let me know!
> 
> That's all, I believe. Enjoy, and have a lovely day :)

Prologue

  “Come on, Dad! You have to try this,” eight-year-old Steven cried, gesturing at his father, Greg to follow him.

  Greg sighed and placed a hand on the back of his head, “aw bud, it’s just not really my thing…”

  The younger Universe could not accept that as an answer. His stubborn son was a picture in the bustling theme park. Candyfloss was being sold at stalls by moody teenagers who did not want to be there. Greg could feel for them. But they didn’t have children, and they certainly did not have Steven.

  “You don’t have to do it again if you don’t like it…” Steven mumbled under his breath.

  Greg could clearly see Steven’s fingers crossed at his side. His son was a conscientious boy and considered everybody’s feelings carefully. Just like his mother.

  But still he was just a kid. He wanted to have fun. And Greg would do anything to make that possible for Steven.

  Even if it meant going on that ridiculously high roller coaster which was meant to be _good fun_. The thing didn’t have loops or corkscrews or whatever they were called on it. It was one of the simpler designs. Up and down, left and right.

  That was enough for Greg.

  _May as well end the holiday on a high,_ Greg thought and chuckled quietly to himself. The joke wasn’t even that funny.

  “Dad?”

  Worried Steven was looking up at him and Greg lowered himself and mussed his son’s hair, “well let’s get this over with if I’m um…going onto this thing.”

  Greg gestured to the ride, which was closing soon, and Steven’s hand latched onto his father’s.

  “Are you ready, son?” Greg asked, swallowing the bile to the back of his throat. He shut his eyes and hoped it would be over before long.

  Steven’s furious nod was answer enough. Greg slowed his pace as his son bounced over towards the ride. Greg found himself slipping into a memory of Steven. He was whistling a tune he had played on his ukulele. It was one about the Crystal Gems. Greg had loved the melodies and the expression of enjoyment on his boy’s face as he played. Steven was sure talented…

  Greg was snapped out of reverie in an instant. His son suddenly stopped. Steven doubled over, coughing. Green bile wasn’t normal, was it?  Greg’s heart was racing. He didn’t have time to think as he scooped up his son and rushed him to the nearest facility. They were alone. Steven was gasping.

  “Dad…my tummy…”

  “You may want to be sick, kiddo. You’ve just gotta let it come out,” Greg started to rub Steven’s back, fumbling in his bag for his phone. Why did he never have the damn thing on him when he needed it?

  “No,” Steven groaned, and pushed up his favourite red t-shirt, “the _outside_.”

  And with that word Greg understood. What was up was Steve wasn’t simple human sickness, it was something _gem_ related, the half of Steven that Greg could only hope to understand. The rose quartz gem was glowing, only dully, with a sickly yellow-green light. It didn’t project light through Steven’s t-shirt like a beacon, otherwise that would have attracted some unwanted attention. Greg knew that gems glowed when the Crystal Gems summoned weapons, fused and…and?

  Greg wasn’t sure. He didn’t know. He wasn’t a gem!

 Panic rose at the base of his stomach, but he focused on controlled his breathing. In and out. The rollercoaster was nothing. He had to stay in control. Steven needed him. Rose had told him to be strong. He could do this.

  “Where does it hurt?” Greg asked, eyes not leaving his son as he dialled the number to the Gems’ house. He hoped they picked up the phone.

  _Ring, ring, ring!_

  “Everywhere,” Steven curled himself into a ball, holding onto his stomach, but leaving his gem untouched like it was an abscess. Greg was now certain there was nothing else wrong with his son. This pain was originating from his gem.

  _Ring, ring, ring!_

When a gem’s physical form was placed under great stress, they _poofed_ and retreated into their gem. This gave them time to regenerate and change their form where appropriate. That was what Rose had told him, and what Pearl had reminded him about while raising a half-gem, half-human son. But what about Steven? Could he simply retreat into his gem when times were tough? And if he could, what implications would that have on him?

  _Ring, ring, ring!_

“You’re going to be alright, Steven,” Greg said seriously. He had stopped rubbing Steven’s back and instead drew his son closer towards him without moving him too suddenly, “you’re gonna be fine.”

   _“He-llo?”_ a voice sounded at the other end of the receiver.

  “Garnet, oh thank goodness,” Greg breathed, “it’s Steven. His gem-”

  _“Where are you?”_ Concern was laced in her neutral tone. It had taken some years, but Greg was finally unravelling the mysteries of Garnet.

  “Surf City Theme Park, just on the outskirts by the rollercoaster-”

  _“We’ll be there,”_ Garnet said and the line went dead.

  And true to her word, five minutes later a very worried Pearl and Amethyst appeared with Garnet at the scene. Pearl had started crying and muttering about how she didn’t know and how she should have known if there was something wrong with Steven’s gem. Apparently a signal would be sent of his location… The temple was magical… Stuff could happen… more stuff could happen…

  All of it went over Greg’s head. He wouldn’t convince himself that he understood any of their gem talk. His son’s gem had stopped glowing and the experts had arrived. His son was safe. That was what mattered.

* * *

  Steven had a pounding headache. Not that he would complain. He couldn’t really do much at that moment. He had just woken up to a swimming darkness. He was only aware of how much his entire body _hurt._

  What had he been doing?

  Oh, he had been on a trip with Dad! It had been going really well. They were spending their last evening at the theme park in Surf City. Dad didn’t want to go on the rollercoaster. He wanted to, but hadn’t been tall enough to ride on his own. He had convinced dad…

  Then everything went blank. He remembered bright lights, voices and pain-

  He squirmed, but his eyes were still too heavy to open. The surface beneath him was warm and smelt familiar. The soft touch of one of his teddies was pressing into the side of his face as well. Steven felt it nuzzling him. He relaxed. He was at home. He was safe.

  “I still don’t understand what happened this evening!” That was Pearl. She sounded furious. Steven hoped he hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “Look, Pearl. He’s going to be fine, so stop worrying. It’s annoying me,” Amethyst stopped talking and started chomping on some food. Steven knew how she sounded. Like a vacuum in a rush.

  “I’ve never heard of anything like this. Greg doesn’t know either! Not even our ancient gem technology understands it!” Pearl’s voice was becoming squealy. It made Steven’s ears ring.

  “Pearl,” that was Garnet. Always the voice of reason, “we don’t know what happened back there, true. But we can find a solution. Right now, all that matters is Steven is safe, and this mysterious lapse is over.”

  It was over.

  Just like the day.

  Steven realized how late it was. And how dark it was.

  Had he always been this sleepy?

  He fell asleep before he could consider the thought.


	2. Practice Makes Perfect

Practice Makes Perfect

  Steven could not remember that night from five years ago. The Gems didn’t like to talk about it that much. Like how they didn’t want to talk about the wars and stuff. They were important, but they were in the past. Even Amethyst had not been alive when the Gem War had occurred.

  “What’s up, Steven?” said purple Gem glanced at Steven from the sofa.

  “Hmm?” Steven turned his head sharply to look at Amethyst. He had been making a sandwich when his mind had suddenly wandered off into a trance. It did that sometimes.

  “You seem to be spacing out a lot. Is there any trouble with anything?” Typical Amethyst to state the obvious.

  “Nah,” the boy muttered, resting his hand on his chin and continued with his melancholic stare out into the rain.

 His mind sometimes wandering part was a lie…it did that a lot.

  More often than not.

  He had had dreams of feeling incredibly nauseous. It was like having a sickness bug…but feeling worse. Like the world was trapped inside of him. Like a mounting pressure was building up inside of his tummy. It made his Gem tingle. And he never _felt_ his Gem. It was there and a part of him. He was never usually aware of it. When he woke up, the feeling faded. But he woke up drenched with sweat, panting heavily.

  Everything was fine! He was unlocking the secrets of his Rose Quartz gem all the time. The Crystal Gems knew that they could rely upon him during a mission. His relationships with Dad and Connie and Lars and Sadie (and Onion?) and everyone were great too! There was a lot that he didn’t understand but he was getting there.

  He was weak, but he had the desire to become stronger. That was what mattered, he had decided.

  Steven shook his head, snapping his reverie for good. With sparkles in his eyes, he deftly reached for the knife and whipped the chocolate spread across the sandwiches. He spread generously across his sandwich. For Amethyst he _smothered_ the bread with the spread. It was the next best thing to motor oil, she claimed.

  “Enough for you?” he called. Amethyst had been flipping through a comic book, ignoring his process. Her attention span was shorter than both he and Amethyst were.

  Steven smiled and breathed in deeply, ignoring his blocked nose. When she gave him a wicked grin and the thumbs up in approval, Steven grabbed the two plates with ease. If he was going to get a weekend job at one of the restaurants in Beach City in the future, he had to practice.

  Pearl and Garnet had gone on a mission together. Amethyst had been left behind to ‘babysit’ and groaned in response. Steven had sighed about not going on the mission as well. But both Amethyst and Steven had not protested honestly. This was Pearl’s way of making it up to Garnet. Even though some time had passed since her falling out with Garnet about falsely needing to form Sardonyx, there was a slight rift between the two Gems.

  When nothing was said, Steven felt it.

  His dad said he inherited that from his mother.

  “My little man, she was so kind and beautiful. I know she loves you very much!” And after Greg Universe had said that he had accidently sprayed himself with one of the water hoses.

  Steven enjoyed spending time with Amethyst. Pearl hated food. Garnet tolerated it. But Amethyst loved it, despite her interesting palette.

  “Thanks!” Amethyst exclaimed as he passed the sandwich to her. She grabbed some hot sauce that had been resting on the table. She tipped the contents into her mouth and swallowed the sandwich whole. Steven laughed as he took the first bite happily into his sandwich. There was something about chocolate that made him feel alive.

  Amethyst burped and sank back into the sofa so half her face vanished like a pillow. She patted her tummy contentedly and closed her eyes. Steven continued to eat his sandwich, listening to the soft snores of his guardian and the falling of the rain.

  Suddenly, the older Gem opened her eyes.

  “What?” Steven gasped, placing his plate on the table. He felt a flicker of strength run through his veins. He was a second away from summoning his shield.

  “I’ve figured it out!”

  “What?”

  “The level!”

  “What?” Steven asked, his tone becoming agitated. He didn’t mean to snap or sound impatient. He just…didn’t feel well. His head had started swimming. His entire body felt like a heavy boulder. His head was pounding.

 Amethyst was rabbiting on, “you won’t believe how simple it was! All we had to do was fetch the Elixir _before_ entering that chamber thingy instead of going back for it when we come back to it after that boss fight-”

 She had leapt up half the stairs to Steven’s bedroom and had grabbed the controller from his bed and as she was about to start playing-

  Steven lost his balance. His legs gave up on him.

  He did not know when he started falling.

…

  “Steven!” Amethyst had jumped off the first floor and was shapeshifting before Steven could succumb to the clutches of gravity.

  The black-haired boy crashed into the Amethyst-mattress. She sighed in relief and shapeshifted back into her original form, clutching Steven close to her gemstone. She could hear his shaky breathing.

  Thoughts were rushing through her mind. It was a feeling similar to how she felt when reforming.

  _Too damn weak! Why was I poofed? Come on come on… How long does it take to reform there is no time come on body! They need me! Come on!_

 “Come on, Steven, give me something here,” Amethyst muttered to herself and an unconscious fourteen-year-old.

  And that was when she saw it.

  His gem. Rose’s gem. Usually pink. Was yellow. Shouldn’t be yellow. Sick. Corruption. Shatter.

  _Focus Amethyst!_ She scolded silently to herself. It was her and Steven here at the moment. She had to do this.

Pearl had drilled first aid into her gem (almost literally) when Steven had first moved in with them. The first incident had been before he had moved in. Greg had confessed that he didn’t know enough about Steven’s Gem heritage to be able to look after him confidently should illness like this strike again. But Gems didn’t become ill!

  He had put their faith in the wrong beings.

  Amethyst wanted to run out of the front door and shapeshift into the form of a killer whale and brood away her anger at the bottom of the ocean.

  Pearl and Garnet had put their faith into her. The _Earth_ had unknowingly put its fate into the palms of her palms.

  She found that her palms were spread wide in front of her. She had been designed to be the perfect Quartz soldier. To Homeworld (a place that she never wanted to go), she was a number, a facet, a design. A disposable part of their larger plan.

  But the Earth had had an alternate fate for her.

  She was small but mighty!

 They believed in her. Everyone. Especially Rose.

  Especially Steven.

  Memories came flooding back into her mind. So she _did_ listen to what Pearl told her! Amethyst placed Steven in the recovery position, being careful with moving his delicate frame and avoiding his gem at all costs. The boy was agitated and pushed up his top, as if attempting to give his quartz gem air. Amethyst helped him and then he settled down again, still unconscious. He was shivering furiously, but his forehead was clammy.

  With a cold compress on his head and comfortable surface beneath him, Amethyst whipped out her phone (like how she whipped out her whip? She would have found that amusing given the circumstances were different) and dialled Greg’s number.

  _“Beep! Can’t get to you right now, leave a message. Oh wait, I’m meant to do the beep at the end, where’s that button thingy-”_

  “Greg. It’s Steven. His gem is glowing yellow. This illness is not something human, it’s something…else,” Amethyst breathed down the line quickly and hung up. Now to find Pearl and Garnet.

  The Crystal Gems had a way of tapping into each other’s energies. It worked like fusion. Be in sync, connect, and resonate the colours of your soul. Amethyst found herself focusing not on Pearl nagging her or telling her to be a better example to Steven, but the Pearl from _before._ The Pearl who wasn’t afraid of driving in the night and not returning until morning. The Pearl who truly smiled, without heartbreak clouding her eyes. The determined Pearl who would squash anything that tried to harm a newly-emerged Amethyst.

  _Please, P. We need you._


	3. Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this fic is turning out to be really angsty :'D
> 
> I either have too many plot bunnies to count or none at all. I will update when I have plot bunnies, and if not, then I'll keep chasing them until they're found. I'll try to update fortnightly at least from now on, but I will also be writing "Interlude" chapters, which should speed updates up.
> 
> There'll be an "Interlude" chapter up tomorrow. Hope to see you for that! :)

Forgiveness

  She lifted the pebble and turned it over. It rested in her palm. She observed its creases and rubbed its smooth surface.

  Pearl dropped it, sighing lightly. This situation was awkward- it was almost painful.

  She was on her first solo mission with Garnet since the Sardonyx incident. Oh, Amethyst could be a childish nuisance, but Pearl was craving her company as she stood there, inspecting rocks.

  There was no purpose to inspecting rocks. Pearl just needed a distraction. To avoid talking to-

  “Pearl, have you found anything?” Garnet called, facing away from Pearl. Her arms were folded and she was staring at a cliff, the same cliff where she had been standing nine minutes ago.

  The smaller Gem shook her head sadly and whispered a faint “no” before lifting up another pebble. This one had a crack on it.

  Pearl’s mind started to wander again. It was an escape for her, away from this shattering site, away from Garnet, away from the gut-wrenching guilt that had clawed at her inside for weeks.

  She sniffled. She couldn’t cry. The least she could do was to be strong and of use to the Crystal Gems. She had to prove to their leader that she had _some_ merits.

  _What can you do? You’re just a Pearl,_ the sinister voice in her head muttered, the words cutting at Pearl like ice. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her waist, so she was hugging herself. She lowered herself to the ground, clutching the pebble with all her strength.

  Don’t think about it.

  What would Steven and Amethyst be doing now? Something reckless, she reckoned. The duo was like a magnet to dangerous and ridiculous situations.

  Amethyst had…interesting methods of watching over Steven. One time when Steven had been quite young, and Greg was working late, Amethyst had looked after Steven. Pearl had gone to check on her. She had found Amethyst covered in ketchup, asleep on the floor, and a toddler Steven laughing and pulling her hair.

  If that was what the two could accomplish when Steven could barely walk, what could they manage now?

  The paranoid part of Pearl’s mind was eager to run back to the warp pad. She would warp back to the Temple and check on Steven. Just to be sure he was safe.

  She dropped her head heavily. But she couldn’t run.

  For some time, Steven had been unhappy. He wouldn’t admit to it (he was so much like Rose that way) but Pearl could see it in the weariness that seemed to have taken over his body. And it was her fault.

  All so she could feel…stronger. There was something about fusion that she couldn’t put into words; it gave her confidence and the strength to be herself…with others. Pearls were not made to be on their own. They were created to serve.

  With Garnet, she was so powerful. She could strike down the communication hub with elegance. Sardonyx was comfortable being herself, which was something Pearl was still working on individually. As Opal she felt that strength too. And as Rainbow Quartz…

  Pearl shook her head. She wanted to sit there and contemplate fusion for the next hundred years. She would have examined pebbles mindlessly if it was not for Steven. Pearl had made a vow to protect him. And she would see it through, like Amethyst and Garnet would. They would do anything to protect their world, their home, and that’s what made them the Crystal Gems.

  Her legs were as heavy as lead. Gravity was trying to press her down. Her guilt was trying to hold her down. But she rose up despite the pain shooting through her limbs.

  “Garnet…” Pearl started, her voice quivering.

  Garnet had sat down on a boulder. Her visor was down and she was staring at the two gems on her palms. She closed her eyes and brought her palms together, so the gems were touching. Garnet took a deep breath and appeared to have come to a decision.

  “Before you come up with any excuses, Pearl, I want to be honest with you. I- we were hurt by the choices you made. We were in turmoil. You know what fusion means to us,” Garnet opened her eyes and lifted her head, all three eyes on Pearl.

  “I fell apart, Pearl. Ruby was furious and Sapphire was afraid things could never be the same,” Garnet continued, and Pearl gasped in shock. Nothing broke Ruby and Sapphire apart, but _she_ had.

  “If that’s how it must be-” Pearl caught the look of disappointment in Garnet’s eyes. She was prepared for her punishment. Banishment from the Crystal Gems, being locked up in a bubble, _anything,_ she was prepared.

  “I’m not going to punish you, Pearl. There has been enough conflict,” Garnet smirked. Future vision. Nothing more needed to be said on that topic.

  “I want to make it up to you in any way I can,” Pearl said stoically, as Garnet stood up and with a flick of her wrist her visor was back up.

  “I know,” Garnet turned to face Pearl. “But as Ruby and Sapphire did, I too want to forgive. Let’s move forward,” Garnet moved forward and rested her right hand on Pearl’s shoulder, “no more crying, Pearl.”

  “Thank you.”

* * *

  Pearl was able to contain her tears…eventually. Garnet wouldn’t forget about what happened, but the fact that she was willing to forgive her meant the world to Pearl. She now walked purposefully towards the last known location of the corrupted gem that she had detected. There was much to do.

  Garnet walked silently, a couple of footsteps behind the smaller figure. Although her expression was neutral, she felt like smiling.

  _I told you she would be able to forgive us,_ Sapphire commented happily.

  _You’re always right, even if I say I don’t believe you at first,_ Ruby replied teasingly.

  _You’re the most beautiful being in the cosmos. I have to be right, don’t I?_

_I love you so so much!_

_And I you, Ruby._

_I’m glad, Sapphy…Pearl is a good Gem, isn’t she._

_Mmm, she deserves to be happy._

  Garnet was smiling by this point. Not that she would let Pearl see.

  However, as Garnet looked up, she noticed that Pearl had stopped frozen on the spot. A second hadn’t passed when she turned around, a haunted expression clouding her eyes. She was running back towards the warp pad, straight past Garnet.

  “It’s Amethyst. Steven isn’t well,” Pearl panted. Garnet immediately tapped into her future vision. She had been so distracted that she hadn’t thought about watching Steven. He had had Amethyst with her, which meant Garnet didn’t have to be as concerned about the boy’s safety. He would be safe with her. But as she mentally traipsed along the rivers of the future, she saw Steven, feverish and sickly, curled up on the sofa. His gem was visible. Amongst the sweat that lined it, the gem was not pink. It was the same colour as it had been the first time this had happened to Steven.

  It had come back, this illness or whatever it was.

  Garnet’s jaw clenched as her mind journeyed further along this particular future. This time, the sickness was here to stay.

  After all, the future didn’t lie.


	4. Interlude I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Interlude" chapters follow a young Steven and his adventures with the Gems. They're the breaks from the real heavy angst XD
> 
> Steven has just moved in with the Crystal Gems. With his dad on a trip out of town, he really wants to spend some quality time with the Gems. 
> 
> What could be more together than a together breakfast?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is dedicated to ChisanaItchi ^^ Thank you for introducing me to the SU fandom and SO MANY other things that I love. I can't wait to work on more projects with you soon- you're truly amazing <3
> 
> The next chapter will be a regular update. Hope to see you then :)

 Interlude I

Steven was going about his morning routine normally. He had woken up to the growling of his stomach. Then he would rub his eyes wearily and clamber down the stairs to his bathroom. He would then attempt to make himself feel a little more human.

  _50% success,_ he thought. And then he started to snicker into his flannel. He was half-human!

  Part of him was debating whether it was worth washing his hair. He washed his hair without question every day. But it was summer. So he would go into the sea. And come out having to wash it again.

  He stared into the mirror and smiled. At least he only had his head hair to worry about. In the corner of his bathroom in the box (designed to look like it had been wrapped carefully) that it was given in to him as a baby, sat the razor. Garnet said she ‘knew’.

  She wouldn’t say anymore.

  He reached for a stash of clothes in his clean laundry basket and pulled on his top. As the top was about to cover his gem, he stopped suddenly. Polish! He knew he had forgotten something.

 The thing was, he had only recently moved in with the Crystal Gems. They had added a room to the Temple, which had become known as Steven’s room. It was more like a house. To Steven it had become home.

  The bathroom no longer had that horrible newish feeling to it. He shook his head. When he had arrived, he had felt awkward about messing up this perfectly-designed house. And with Pearl on the loose, the rest of his room remained impeccable. But not the bathroom. That was his human space.

  His dad hoarded loads of stuff. And Steven had slightly slipped into the same habit. He had three tubes of toothpaste, four toothbrushes and about 20 different brands of shampoo and conditioner. It was Pearl’s fault. She bought new groceries every week. And even though Steven didn’t go through a whole bottle of shampoo in a week with his short hair, he didn’t have the heart to tell her he didn’t need it.

  “Maybe I can give some to Dad”, Steven mumbled thoughtfully, polishing his gem clockwise. His tongue stuck out as he concentrated. He then started working anticlockwise-

  When his stomach growled. That changed everything.

  “It’s our first together breakfast!” Steven cried in delight. His eyes widened as he remembered. How could he have forgotten?

  He had had breakfast with his dad every morning at the car wash. Sometimes it was in the office (which wasn’t allowed) or in the van or simply on some deckchairs outside. They would speak about their weird dreams and what they would do that day. It was nice.

  It was together.

  But the excitement of moving in had made Steven forgetful about his traditions with Dad. His life had become so busy while living with the Gems.

  Today was a Saturday and his dad had travelled to Empire City to attend a festival for car washes or cars or rock stars. Steven only remembered that his dad wasn’t going to around this weekend. And he didn’t say anything about it but the Gems had still sensed he was sad.

  They asked what would make him happy. And that would be a together breakfast.

  He didn’t want to be alone.

  He skipped towards the bathroom door. He pressed his ear against the door, waiting to hear the bickering that would always happen between Pearl and Amethyst.

  Amethyst would want food.

  Pearl wanted to prepare the food properly.

  Garnet wanted them to shut up.

  But as Steven waited for Pearl’s harrumph, nothing happened…

  It was quiet. So Steven opened the door and found himself back in the main room of his room (how did that make sense?). The sofas were unoccupied. The kitchen was barren. His bed was still unmade. The warp pad was silent like a melody that had been forgotten.

  Steven stared up at the cavernous ceiling. It seemed to reach higher than what they actually did. He leapt up to try and grab one of the support beams above his head, but fell to his knees, unsuccessful.

  Steven crawled over to the main door of the Temple. He waited for one of the lights to glow or change like waiting for traffic lights. At first he waited in anticipation.

  _They’ll come! I bet they’re caught up in another mission. It’s hard for only three Gems to protect the entire world._

A little later, he waited in confusion.

  _Was it today? Or did I tell them that the together breakfast was tomorrow? I can’t remember…_

And even later, he waited in anger.

  _It’s nearly time for brunch! They could’ve left me a note to tell me they were ok._

Steven suddenly sat up, his spine straight and expression neutral. He stomped across the floorboards to the kitchen and reached for the cupboard, ripping open a packet of crisps. He stormed over towards the sofa to munch on them.

  “I’ll have a together breakfast with Me, Myself and I then!” he shouted and kicked the cushion. That wasn’t enough for him. Why was he feeling so angry? He proceeded to pick up the cushion and throw it across the room-

  Where it knocked into Mum’s painting.

  The beautiful canvas toppled precariously for a few moments, as if deciding whether it should fall or remain erect. Steven held his breath. Hours seemed to stretch by as he stared, mouth wide open, at the painting.

  Before he knew what he was doing, he was running forward-

  Steven crashed onto the floor, scrapping his knees in the process. He cautiously opened one eye. There was no weight in his hands. When he looked up, he saw the depiction of Rose Quartz, his mother, solemnly swaying from side to side; eyes always closed and expression always serene.

  His breathing caught in his throat. Without realizing it, his heart was pounding. Pure adrenaline pulsed through his veins, like a rocket launching for space. Several tears fell down his face.

  Even though it was just a painting, Rose was so much more to Steven. When he woke up, he walked past the painting. He silently wished his mum a good morning. As he went about making breakfast, folding laundry and having fun playing games, she would be there. He then bade her goodnight and she would watch over him and his dreams.

  That painting was the closest connection he had to his mother.

  His knees were grazed, but he hadn’t drawn blood. Still, he would need to find some plasters and antiseptic to wipe over it.

  Where was Pearl when he needed her?

  He wiped his eyes and sat up cross-legged. He was by the glass door. Steven heard something droning and he didn’t know that the sea made that strange noise.

  Storms and rain didn’t make that noise either.

  Perplexed, Steven rose to his feet, literally shaking the pain from his knees and stared at the summer’s day unfolding outside. His hands touched the glass, which was already warm to the touch.

  He blinked, but the wondrous sight that met him was still there.

The beach wasn’t supposed to be filled with bees.

  Hundreds, if not thousands, of workers were humming and buzzing in front of the house. They danced beneath the sunbeams, floating this way and that. The insects hung in the air with a delicacy and precision that generations of evolution had taken to perfect. All of the bees were moving towards Beach City.

  What on earth was happening?

  And more importantly, Steven was needed! He had to save the town! As a Crystal Gem, this was his duty-

  He turned around sadly to the crisps he had left scattered on the sofa. Steven vowed that he would clean up the mess left. Suddenly, he leapt up and grabbed his raincoat. He would need protection from the bees after all.

  As he opened the door, the bees quickly fled from where he was standing. Their destination hadn’t changed however. They were moving with a greater speed and sense of urgency.

  Steven scratched his head (which was itchy with the hood he had yanked on) and thought. He had never seen bees behave like this before. Bees didn’t migrate. There were no flowers on the beach. Just sand and the sea. Or so he believed.

  Were there hidden flowers somewhere?

  Steven walked amid the bees, contemplating these important questions. Within the middle of this swarm, he suddenly felt very lonely. The bees were all together. All working together for their Queen. Steven’s Queen was like the together breakfast. He and the Gems would all work together for a common goal, which was to share a breakfast and talk and laugh.

  That’s all he wanted.

  His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a noise…above the droning…

  Steven spun around…he was sure he had just heard something fuzzy…like a radio…a voice calling…

  “Tell them to just go away!”

  “That won’t help, Amethyst! These are _bees._ They’re non-sentient insects that have been attracted to- Don’t turn into a bee- that doesn’t help the situation at all!”

  Steven’s eyes lit with wonder. Amethyst and Pearl were on the beach, and from the sounds of it they were somewhere close!

  “We have to throw this stuff away,” Garnet called above the buzzing.

  “GUYS!” Steven shouted across the beach. He cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.

  Through the chaos, Steven saw Garnet punching into air with her gauntlets summoned. She wasn’t trying to hurt the bees, only repel them away. It was having little effect…

  “Amethyst!” That was Pearl, who was chasing a purple-coloured bee, which was laughing, in circles. A quartz gem rested on her stripy body.

  “Steven,” Amethyst said in her usual voice and her body shimmered. She shapeshifted into her usual form and moved her hands frantically, “you shouldn’t be here!”

  “I know,” Steven began but he was interrupted by Pearl when she saw him.

  “What are you doing here?” she squealed, and Steven ran forwards. The bees darted to the side just in time. He hurled his small body at Pearl, who nearly fell backwards. She caught him and balanced herself just in time.

  “I had to help, Pearl. There were so many bees and you guys weren’t around this morning and I nearly hurt Mum and I’m really confused-”

  Steven had to pause to breathe.

 Pearl’s eyes widened in alarm. They quickly softened in understanding, “oh, Steven,” she said tenderly, removing the hood from his head.

  “Ouch,” Steven muttered. He had been stung a couple of times on the forehead. He could have been stung many more times. He was really lucky.

  Pearl saw. And she was definitely not impressed. She ushered Steven towards Amethyst and summoned the spear from her gem. She closed her eyes and called, “Garnet!”

  Garnet understood and threw a brown paper bag that was on the sandy beach over to Pearl. The bees were buzzing furiously around this bag. This is what they were being attracted to!

  Pearl ripped open the bag and honey oozed from its sides (where it had evidently leaked) and threw her spear towards the sea. All of the bees zoomed towards the flying spear.

  The spear continued to soar. Garnet launched her gauntlets, and through years of practice, her gauntlets were able to reach the bees and bubble them, just like a corrupt gem. The bubble disappeared with a _poof_ and with it so did the bees and spear.

  “The bubble will send them back to the forest, with the honey,” Garnet stated. And that was how the bee calamity ended as swiftly as it had started.

* * *

  “Sorry we’re late, Steven,” Garnet began, “I didn’t foresee this possibility, when I should have considered it on the winding rivers of time.”

  “Where did you go anyway?” Steven asked, curious. All of the Gems looked at each other awkwardly. Amethyst was the one to answer.

  “Well, we wanted to make pancakes, so we went to the store to buy some honey-”

  Steven started laughing. He rolled onto the beach and clutched his tummy, which hurt. He couldn’t stop giggling. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl looked at him with wondering gazes.

  “You don’t…” Steven attempted, but he couldn’t finish his sentence. He took deep, calming breaths and stared at the sky. The clouds were swirling like vanilla ice cream or candyfloss stuck to the sky. It was nearly midday.

  “You don’t use honey for pancakes, silly. It’s maple syrup!”

 “Ohhh,” the three Gems exclaimed. Pearl tapped her head lightly, “I knew I should have stored that in my memory bank. I’m amending that now.”

  “It’s okay,” Steven said sympathetically, nodding his head. “I was scared you guys didn’t like me. That you didn’t want to have a together breakfast with me,” and then his eyes lit up with a similar sparkle that made the Gems smile, it was a grin that he had inherited from his mother, “and I have a better idea.

  “Let’s have a together lunch. Just the four of us.”


	5. Action Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've just moved into uni and instead of going to all of the clubs, I'm spending my time writing fanfic! I love getting all cosy in the evenings and sitting to write :)
> 
> I've already started on the next chapter...another update will be coming very soon :D
> 
> Have a lovely day, and to anybody who has moved out of home recently too, hope you're settling in well :)

Action Plan

  The first thing that she registered was Amethyst running up to her, tears streaming from her eyes.

  “Stevenisreallypoorlypleasecomeyou’vegottacome!” Amethyst said in one breath and turned around to climb back up the stairs to Steven’s bedroom. Garnet ignored the steps and simply lifted off the ground floor and leapt onto the first floor. Pearl was by her side, her hands covered over her mouth.

  “Steven,” she whispered and then she was by his bedside. Steven was still in his clothes and he had a pained expression on his face. He was clearly unconscious and looked as though he was battling a nightmare. His head was tilting from side to side in discomfort and his lips were dry. There was an icepack on the boy’s forehead, but apart from that, Amethyst hadn’t intervened.

  She had done the right thing for calling them here.

  An ambulance wouldn’t help his condition; Garnet could see the source of the problem in the place where Steven’s belly button should have been if he was a regular human. Except that he wasn’t fully human. He was half-Gem. And the way his gem was…contorted from its usual form made Garnet shudder.

  The gem was pulsating sickly. It was a pale green-yellow in colour and drenched with Steven’s sweat from the skin surrounding it. For a second, Garnet could have sworn that the gem was _glowing._ But that shouldn’t happen.

  This shouldn’t have happened.

  Amethyst was pacing the room. She was explaining what had happened, but to Garnet it was background noise. Pearl was behaving frantically. Where was Greg? Why had this happened again? Why didn’t they sense it coming? Why were there no symptoms?

  Steven had been asymptomatic, that was one fact Garnet had been sure of. The only pain that she was aware of was an emotional one- he was pained by how she and Pearl had not spoken. But they were resolving that…

  If Garnet could have taken back how she had treated Pearl if it would have helped Steven, she would have.

  Amethyst was now shapeshifting every few seconds. She was an owl, agitatedly swooping around the room and then she was a wolf howling at the window and Pearl looked like she was reciting a dictionary-

  “Stop it, you two!” Garnet said firmly, summoning her gauntlets as a warning. Amethyst and Pearl looked up, ashamed.

  “What should we do, Garnet?” Amethyst asked, and she looked like a newly-emerged Gem all over again. She was still so young; Garnet sometimes let that slip her mind.

  “Pearl- is Steven in a stable condition?” Garnet asked. When she received a terse nod in reply, Garnet let her connection with the gauntlets fade. She hadn’t realized that she was still donning them. Her mind wasn’t properly focused on those trivial things at the moment.

  “We are going to monitor his situation. What caused his condition to arise the first time? And why has it resurfaced now? We need to answer those questions. But first, we need to make sure Steven is comfortable,” Garnet gestured towards the Temple Gate.

  “Amethyst, would you be able to get some of the tears from Rose’s fountain?” Garnet asked, but Amethyst lifted her hands as if in protest.

  “That didn’t work when we used it on his gem last time, Garnet!” Amethyst said loudly, and then she gasped, “but it could work this time! I’m going.”

  As Amethyst warped to the fountain, Garnet saw Pearl crouched over Steven, “he’s got to be okay. He _has to be._ ”

  “We’ll do everything we can,” Garnet consoled gently, coming around the bed to sit on the floor at Steven’s other side. She had to remain the focused and pragmatic one in this situation. She had watched wars, corruption and shattering unveil before her very eyes. She had to stay strong and help Steven in any way that she could. She continued speaking: “do you think we could use the healing tears as a tonic for Steven to drink? It could help stop his fever.”

  “That could work!” Pearl chirped, leaping to her feet. She closed her eyes and then her gem started to glow. Like how she summoned her spear, a blue light surrounded her forehead. And then she pulled out a thick, ancient tome from her gem.

  The cover was written in gem script, something that was beyond the written language of humans. It was so old that even Amethyst would be able to understand it in parts.

  It was a book called ‘Gem Oddities’ which sounded accurate. Pearl started to flick through the pages and read faster than any human could. She was muttering under her breath and she was not distracted from her work.

  While the other two were busy with their tasks, Garnet focused her attention on Steven’s breathing. It was shallow, but it didn’t sound strained.

  She wiped his brow with a delicate touch. Garnet leaned forward and kissed Steven on the forehead. As she did, she channelled her future vision into Steven, hoping that her feelings would be able to reach him.

 She showed him a future where he was well. It was sunset at the beach. The four of them had ordered pizza. Connie and Greg were there. Greg was playing some wacky tune on his guitar and Steven danced with Connie and they accidently fused. Stevonnie fell back onto the sand and they were laughing. Amethyst was showing Pearl the finer points of shapeshifting. Instead of arguing back, Pearl sat back watching, genuinely intrigued. Garnet offered to play a tune on the keytar. The smile on Greg’s face was priceless to have her play with him. Everyone was happy.

  Garnet wanted to make more memories with Steven. He was compassionate and loving; every part of Garnet adored him.

  He was someone incredible. If anyone could fight this, it was him.

  They would fight this together.

  “Got them!” Amethyst called as soon as she had warped back at the Temple and she rushed back up the stairs. She had a jug in her hands full of the healing tears. “Let’s give them to Steven quickly…wait, how come he looks so relaxed?”

  Garnet looked at Steven. Even though his gem hadn’t changed at all, his expression was no longer strained. He was no longer fighting the nightmares in his mind. He was breathing deeply and now it seemed that he was in a deep sleep. He was peaceful. A smile had appeared on his face. Garnet felt the tension leave her body as she exhaled.

  Steven had heard her.

 The boy then started snoring, which caused Pearl to stir from her concentrated state.

  “Oh, Amethyst, I’m glad you’re back with the tears. I’ve found a remedy in here which uses similar properties-” Pearl stood abruptly, “I need to find some ingredients.

  “Garnet, would you be able to heat up the tears in the Burning Room? They need to be in a powerful Gem environment to have the most effect when-”

  Pearl didn’t have to say anymore before Garnet took the mug off Amethyst and she was heading towards the Gate. As if the Gate knew the urgency of their situation, it opened as Garnet approached. Ruby and Sapphire’s gems on the five-pointed star shimmered briefly.

  As Garnet felt the familiar heat surround her, with the bubbled Gems floating above, she hurried over to the centre of the room. She couldn’t boil the tears and had to be careful. She summoned an aura around the jug and directed it above the pit of lava-like substance. After a few seconds, the liquid was beginning to evaporate. She reached up and as she made contact with the jug, she cooled it until the liquid was warm to the touch.

  As her finger made contact with the tears, Garnet felt her palm tingle. Warmth spread throughout her bodies, easing her aches and pains. Her nerves were calmed too, and the stress she had accumulated supposedly melted away too. Garnet knew it was due to the influence of the tears. They were wonderfully powerful.

  Pearl had returned with the ingredient she needed. She took the tears from Garnet and started muttering to herself. The ingredient was some herb from the edge of some warp pad. The Ruby part of her was impatient to return to Steven’s side and the Sapphire part of her was listening to Pearl. Ruby won however as Amethyst gestured for Garnet to come over.

  “How will this work?” Amethyst asked, watching Steven over her shoulder.

  “We’ll need to find a way for Steven to drink the tonic,” Pearl said, her eyebrows rising in concern. Steven didn’t look like he was going to wake up anytime soon.

  “No we don’t. I will heat the mixture and Steven can inhale the vapours,” Garnet exclaimed, inspired from her experience in the Burning Room.

  “Good idea, Garnet!” Pearl started excitedly and began to show Garnet how the ingredients needed to be mixed (Sapphire was paying diligent attention).

  Meanwhile, Amethyst stared longingly at the video game set, “I really want to complete that level with you soon, Steven.”

  The purple Gem watched her friends talking intently about their plan. Amethyst crossed her arms, and despite the tight knot in her chest that represented her worry for Steven, she chuckled, “I wish you were here to see this, Little Man.

  “Those two are finally getting along.”


	6. Connie's Eventful Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is that update, finally! 
> 
> I love Connie. I think the character development she goes through in the show is incredible, and I hope that in this fic she can do just the same :)
> 
> The next update is on (drum roll) Wednesday! It's going to get super angsty, and Garnet's tears will be explained as well :'D
> 
> Have a lovely day! See you soon :D

Connie’s Eventful Day

  Connie was not having a good day. Her holiday with her family been extended for a week. That book that she had borrowed from the library would now be returned _late._ And she had promised Steven she would see him next Tuesday.

  Today was Saturday.

  She hadn’t seen Steven in nearly a month, and she had to let him down…again…

  She stared out of the car’s backseat window. The mountain ranges rushed by, their snow-covered tops like fingers reaching for the sky. When she had first witnessed the peaks, she had gasped in amazement, but now she sighed and rested her chin on her hand. She had been really excited for this holiday, of course. But she had been itching to get back home for the past couple of days.

  Connie missed Beach City. She missed her odd adventures with the Crystal Gems. And she missed _him._

She tapped her fingers impatiently on the window. Steven had been on her mind a lot today. It was strange. With everything that she had done, she had been asking herself questions about what Steven would say, do and think in a given situation.

  When she had eaten pancakes for breakfast, she had imagined Steven’s face lighting up when she pulled out the maple syrup.

  _“That’s amazing, Connie!”_ Steven would have exclaimed when she did her morning flexibility exercises.

  The tasks that Connie completed every morning without a second thought had changed somehow. They had become important. They had become things she associated with Steven.

  And she didn’t understand why this was happening.

  In the car, she felt herself nodding off to sleep. The monotonous rise and fall of the mountain range disappeared from view as her eyes closed shut. The gentle rhythm of the car fell in sync with her breathing…

  Suddenly, everything was dark. It was like the sun had been snuffed out and all that was left was shadow and cold. Connie knew she was dreaming, but it felt so real; she breathed out swirls of steam and her teeth started to chatter. She drew her arms close to her as a shiver coursed through her body. Connie couldn’t remember ever being this cold in her life.

  And then she saw it.

  She didn’t know how to describe ‘it’.

  In front of her, several metres away, a pink flame had popped into existence. It hovered there for a moment and then the flame began to grow and multiply. The embers emitted a gentle light. Connie’s instinct was to step closer. Not only because it was freezing, but this light had a warm presence about it. Some fires roared and brought death and destruction with them. Connie had seen a forest fire with her own eyes (and it had been terrifying and her parents had sworn never to repeat that holiday again).

  This fire flickered with life.

  As Connie approached, she reached out her hand. Instinct was driving her. If she had been awake, her practical mind would have thought with caution. She shouldn’t be touching an open flame, especially if it was a weird colour.

  But Connie wasn’t afraid. In fact, she was…relieved.

  She knew what that flame was.

  Within the dancing storm of pink that flickered before her, she saw images. They changed and merged together. But they were all of the same smiling (and goofy) black-haired boy that she adored.

  Steven.

  She cupped the ball of light in her hand, and felt its aura surround her. Like how the moon pulled at the tide, the flame was pulling at her soul, willing her to follow where it wanted to lead.

  With a flash of blinding light, Connie was gone from the black void and the car. She opened her eyes, painfully adjusting at first, until her surroundings came into focus.

  And she recognised where she was straight away.

  She was at the Temple!

  Or rather, she was _on top_ of the Temple. She was standing on the top of the woman’s head looking down on the Temple and the sea. She raised her hands to her mouth to disguise her scream. Before she could scream, she held her breath in shock.

  Her hands were a different colour. They were the same pinkish hue as the flame. She knew that Steven had summoned her here. She didn’t have to be afraid about that.

  Connie turned her head to the sky. The seagulls were struggling to flap their wings and then she noticed how fast the clouds were racing across the sky. The sea was rough and its waves were whipping at the shore, creating froth where it crashed at the shore. But Connie wasn’t cold anymore. And her dress and hair weren’t being buffeted by the wind either.

  Of course! Her body was still sleeping in the car. Her soul had gone wondering…that was all.

  She giggled. She couldn’t imagine herself being this calm in a situation like this over a year ago. The younger Connie would have freaked out.

  But meeting the Gems had changed her life. And definitely for the better.

  Her body felt agile and weightless. Without a second though, she leapt. She floated effortlessly towards the ground, holding her arms out to the side and crying out in delight. She could feel Steven’s happiness and euphoria flooding through her. Even if she couldn’t see him, she felt connected to him.

  Just like when they fused.

  As soon as her feet made contact with the ground, she dug her shoes in, willing that she felt pressure beneath her. And like that, she could feel the sand beneath her feet. She went down to pick up the sand, but her hand passed straight through. No luck there.

  She shook her head and raced up to Steven’s house. If she had closed her eyes, she still would have found her way, easily. She had walked this route countless times.

  However, as she eagerly climbed up the steps, she paused. She had heard a sound.

  She finished climbing the steps, and she swallowed. Hesitantly, she peered in through the window, confirming her suspicions.

  The sound she had heard had been crying.

  And the crying was from the Crystal Gem that would least likely cry.

  Garnet.

  Amethyst and Pearl were huddled close like penguins around the taller Gem.

  “It didn’t work…” she muttered, her teeth clenched. “It didn’t work!”

  Neither Amethyst nor Pearl had an answer or reply to her.

  Garnet shivered, “I’m so tired, and I don’t know why. I don’t know what to do…”

  “You have us,” Amethyst mumbled. Pearl didn’t say anything, but she reached out to Garnet and Amethyst, drawing them into a hug.

  And all Connie could do was watch the display. She tried to grab their attention. She did everything in her near-ghostly power, from attempting to turn on the microwave to pulling at Amethyst’s long hair to activating the warp pad.

  But nothing worked.

  Then she remembered the missing figure. The fourth Crystal Gem.

  She rushed up the stairs to Steven’s bed, and she took one glance at him and there was this horrible yellow light emitting from his gem and she shuddered it was wrong and Steven was so sick she could tell after a second of looking-

  Trying not to choke, Connie retreated to where the TV was and she felt herself slump with her back against the wall, like her legs had forgotten how to work.

  She crouched down, on the verge of tears, when suddenly a warm pair of arms wrapped tightly around her.

  “Steven…” she mumbled and without looking at him she started sobbing and buried herself into his arms, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize-”

  “It’s ok, Connie. You’re here now,” Steven said simply, “well, kinda. Not really. I was just thinking of you and here you are! This whole ghost thing is weird though, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, I was freaking out at first! But then as soon as I came to the Temple and saw the fla- _you,_ I knew it was fine. Everything was fine…” Connie drifted off and wiped her eyes. She loved how she and Steven were so in sync with each other. Even after not seeing him for too long and being out of her body, they had slipped into their usual routine. But that was a gentle lie. A beautiful, horrible lie.

  “Connie…”

  “But things aren’t fine, are they, Steven?” Connie whispered.

  Her best friend shook his head sadly, “in my head, I’m fine. I can hear everything that’s going on. But my body…it just…”

  Steven turned his head towards the bed, and nothing more needed to be said. In spirit, he looked well. His body was sick however. Connie could tell from a glance. Sickness had an aura about it, just like the flame. But this aura was ugly and wretched and Connie wanted to kick it out the window into the ocean like a football.

  “I wish I could do something. But I’m useless here!” she stomped her foot and quickly apologised to Steven for stepping on his leg.

  He laughed softly, “you’re not useless. You followed me here- how incredible is that?”

  Connie smiled and wiped the last tear away before her friend continued.

  “You’re incredible, Connie. And I need your help,” he glanced past Connie towards the Gems, who Connie had regrettably forgotten about for the past few minutes.

  “Anything.”

  A sad smile, “they need you. Tell them I’m ok here, for now. And please find my dad for me, and tell him that I love him loads. And the Gems too.”

  “Of course,” a determined nod.

  “Thank you,” another hug. A tear was shed from the boy who loved this world and its people so much.

  “I’ll see you soon! I’ll get my parents to drive back as soon as I can!” and Connie released Steven and she was running, out of the room and out of the Temple and towards the ocean.

 When her legs made contact with the water, she jolted awake, back in the car and the boring view. She ignored them completely.

   “Mum, dad, we need to turn back.”


	7. Why Like This?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a day late! I was feeling really poorly yesterday :/ I'm fine today though...
> 
> This may need editing but I wanted to get the chapter out, since it follows on from the last one. 
> 
> Warning- this one is very angsty!

Why Like This?

  The preparation had been perfect. The tears had been heated to the correct temperature and the Crystal Gems had allowed Steven to inhale them.

  But as the seconds had passed and crawled into minutes which had crawled into several hours, nothing had happened. Nothing had changed. Garnet tried again. And again.

  Still nothing. So Amethyst and Pearl had attempted to revive Steven, to no avail. He looked peaceful and content, but he was unconscious. The condition of the gemstone hadn’t changed either; it could have actually been glowing brighter.

  The tonic hadn’t worked.

  Garnet had been the first one to start crying. She couldn’t explain why the tears had flooded down her cheeks. Her visor remained stoically on. If Pearl and Amethyst had looked her in the eye, they would have broken apart too.

  Garnet was always the composed one. Her guard had fallen however. It was though a part of her felt weaker…vulnerable for some reason…

  She had held Pearl and Amethyst, hoping to let that frustration and hopelessness melt away. In truth, Garnet felt much the same despite letting herself cry for a few moments.

  Garnet had attempted to close her eyes and glimpse into the future. They were all shrouded in black, like ominous storm clouds. From her experiences of the Gem Wars, darkness in the future had never been a good thing.

  But Garnet couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t be sure of what the future held. And that put her on edge. As the hours crawled by, she had started pacing. She had to think of a solution!

  Amethyst had taken to playing a video game. She didn’t deal well with stress. For the purple Gem, distraction was cure to stress. She was cursing silently under her breath at the TV screen.

  Pearl was reciting the name of various Gem remedies. She held one of Steven’s clammy hands and amongst naming them; Garnet could hear her calling for Rose.

  Garnet had made a promise to Rose. That she would protect Pearl and Amethyst and Greg…and her Steven. Watching the others fall apart made Garnet feel more agitated.

  She was supposed to the leader of the Crystal Gems. Her existence itself was a miracle back on Homeworld, and Rose had celebrated her permanent union. Rose had faith in Garnet’s ability to take care of the others. Garnet was supposed to keep them on the right path.

  But how could she do that when she couldn’t _see_ what was ahead?

   She shook her head, scolding herself silently. Looking at her little family, Garnet knew deep down why she was frustrated. It was because of her inability to protect them. She could only do so much. Steven had an illness (whatever it was) and Garnet was unsure.

 Uncertainty led to doubt.

  Doubt led to confusion.

  Confusion led to fear.

  Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the stairs and turned to face away from the chaos of Steven’s bedroom. She closed all of her eyes and held her palms together.

  If she was to hold her family together, she had to be able to hold herself together first.

  Breathe in.

  She slipped into that meditative trance she had practiced to enter. She allowed the outside world to fade away like dust blowing in the wind. Those thoughts fluttered away, each of them a white butterfly. They could fly away…

  Breathe out.

  Now she could observe them from a distance. She could acknowledge the thoughts without letting them affect her.

 Breathe in.

  Every part of Garnet was afraid, albeit for different reasons.

  Sapphire hated being uncertain. Her existence had come about for the opposite reason. And even though she had had many years spent with her spontaneous Ruby, there was a feeling of worry dredged deep inside. If she couldn’t predict the future, what was her purpose?

  Ruby wanted something to happen. And happen _now._ Why couldn’t this illness be a monster that she could see and beat up and poof? Gems weren’t supposed to become ill. That was a human thing. It was unfamiliar territory to her. It was like wading into a dark sea and not knowing what lurked beneath the surface.

  Garnet wanted to hold herself together. She was afraid that if she broke apart, the rest of the Crystal Gems would fall apart too. She wanted to retreat to the bottom of the ocean or the Burning Room or somewhere quiet and reflect about the best way to help Steven. But she wasn’t going to be granted that luxury. She would have to make-do.

  Breathe out.

  What was she going to do?

  She was going to be stronger than whatever they were facing. And they were going to overcome this abomination that had _no right_ to harm her Steven and her family.

  Nobody was going to silence her song.

  Garnet didn’t have a collection like Pearl did and she didn’t hoard bric-a-brac like Amethyst. She thrived on love, and nothing material could compare to the bonds that one can form with others.

  She opened her eyes, feeling that inner peace flood through her body. From her position, the painting of Rose hung close to her. Rose’s eyes were closed, and there was such tranquillity in her expression. Garnet had always believed that Rose not only had healing powers on physical ailments, but also for the mind. Whenever Garnet had consulted Rose with a problem (her existence was uncomfortable for some of the Crystal Gems, those who couldn’t fathom what love was), she had left with a carefree happiness.

  Without Rose anymore, Garnet journeyed to Rose’s fountain instead. She would sit and meditate and think of the times long gone, and of recent memories made with Steven. She owed Rose so much.

  Most of all for her last gift to the Crystal Gems.

  Steven.

  _I’ll still miss you though,_ Garnet thought wistfully. She rose to her feet and heard a rumbling. Spinning around, her gauntlets a second away from being summoned, she sighed with relief.

  At the end of Steven’s bed, there was a lavender-coloured cat kneading her paws at the duvet, settling in and making herself comfortable. Amethyst glanced at Garnet for an instant with her feline eyes, before yawning with her tiny fangs showing, and curled up asleep. Pearl was sitting on the windowsill and glancing at the sky.

  A storm was approaching.

  “I’m sorry, Pearl,” Garnet began. Her behaviour earlier had been erratic. She felt as though she had to justify herself.

  “You don’t have to be sorry, Garnet. You are always the strong one. It sometimes isn’t fair to have to be all the time,” Pearl replied. She was clutching one of Steven’s toys tightly to her chest.

  “And you too, Amethyst. I’m sorry,” Garnet said, and she lifted out a hand towards the cat. A head butted against her palm, the purring becoming louder, “you’re doing an incredible job guarding him.”

 Amethyst somehow pulled off a smile, “thanks, G.”

  “We need Greg here too,” Pearl said.

  “Yes. We should call him using that device he gave us,” Garnet expected the strange device called a mobile phone to magically appear in front of her. She couldn’t summon it though. Human technology was confusing and pointless.

  “Steven’s one is next to him,” Amethyst lazily pointed towards Steven’s bedside table with her table, without opening her eyes.

  “Pearl, would you be able to call Greg?” Garnet asked, folding her arms across her chest. She suddenly felt…cold…

  As Pearl nodded and hurried to complete her task, Garnet closed her eyes and allowed her mind to be swept down the future.

  She wouldn’t be able to see far ahead, but even if she could only look into the next hour, it would be more useful than seeing nothing. Her mind was a wanderer travelling beside a long, winding river that expanded out into the future. She imagined herself peering into the water’s depths, watching the shimmering depths unfold into events yet to be.

  Connie and Greg. Steven waking up.

  Pearl and Amethyst. Steven asleep.

  Ruby and Sapphire.

  Hot and cold.

  Why were Ruby and Sapphire there?

  Was she going to fall apart?

  But Garnet felt content. Earlier, she may have been nearing her point of defusing. Not anymore.

  Still within her mind, she held her palms out in front of her.

  Hot and cold.

  Her right palm was at it usually was. But her left…it was beginning to glow that same sickly green.

  With a flash, Garnet’s future vision stopped. Garnet was back in the present. Her left gem was glowing. She was shaking.

  She was slipping.

  She was crying.

  Ruby and Sapphire were crying.

  “Hold on!” all three of them begged.

  “Hold on…” they repeated.

  Suddenly, thunder crashed overhead. Rain started pelting down from the heavens. Even the clouds couldn’t hold onto water forever.

  There was a flash of lightning, and at the same time, a light surrounded Garnet.

  Two figures crashed into the ground.

  And she was no more.


	8. Mist of the Sapphire Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Long time no see, sorry for the massive delay in updates. Life has been hectic, but I will not abandon this story ^^
> 
> I love Sapphire. She keeps it together so much of the time. She deserves a long vacation after all this!

Mist of the Sapphire Sea

She would stand out here sometimes and watch the sea.

  
Living next to the ocean, one would assume the constant lapping of the waves would become a mundane view to her. But that was not the case.

  
Normally, she didn’t have the time to notice the wide world around her. Garnet was always on the go and Ruby’s essence within their fusion caused Garnet to keep going.  
There was always something to do: there was another corrupted Gem to bubble or she would have to summon her gauntlets to pique down Pearl and Amethyst’s arguing...  
Sapphire gripped the balcony’s railing, feeling her gem slicken with moisture from the morning mist. She had resorted back to her usual pattern of thinking, like she was still Garnet.

  
But she wasn’t Garnet. Garnet wasn’t here.

  
She closed her eye, blocking the horizon from view. And it was a beautiful dawn. Seagulls cawed eagerly in the sky, awaiting the Beach City tourists to scavenge from. The clouds were turning from pink to white, the colours of the sunrise turning like a clock into the colours of morning. The sun was beginning to shine strongly onto the sand.  
Soon the mist would fade and with it all traces of dawn, as though it had never existed in the first place.

  
Ruby... Sapphire trembled and clasped her left palm in her right. It was strange that there was only one gem there. For over 5000 years, they had always been Garnet. Garnet had developed and gained her own identity and Sapphire couldn’t have been prouder of the fusion she and her lover had helped create.

As Garnet, she was content. She was complete.

  
She turned around, glancing at the inside of the house, where Ruby and Steven were sleeping. Ruby currently took up the couch, while Pearl sat on the floor next to her side. She alternated between watching Ruby and flicking through some of the books she had summoned from her gem. Amethyst remained snuggled by Steven’s side.

  
It demanded all of her self-control not to rush to Ruby’s side and hold her gem close and kiss her beautiful hands until she awoke. As soon as they had split (Sapphire winced at the thought), she had furiously dug into the depths of her mind, looking at every future she could. The first one she glimpsed at was a blur. And the next. And the next. She needed to know that Steven and Ruby were alright!

  
Ice shards had begun to form around her feet.

  
Just like her future vision, her actual vision had been a blur too. Tears had fallen down her cheeks. How useless was future vision if she couldn’t look into the future?  
If she couldn’t fulfil her purpose as a Sapphire, what could she bring to the Crystal Gems?

  
She winced at the hurtful thoughts that filled her mind. And now she had no reassuring touch, no reassuring tendril of thought that said it’s okay. You’re ok.  
Ruby wasn’t there to be her anchor.

  
She had wished she possessed Rose’s healing tears. But even they had had no effect on Steven’s condition. She had rubbed the tears onto Ruby’s gem for her to benefit from them someway.

  
Like Steven, the effort didn’t succeed. It was futile.

  
Pearl had placed a hand on her shoulder. She had held onto Pearl like Steven had done as a lost child. She had sobbed for a long while. Pearl patted her shoulder whispering in soothing tones.

  
“I know you don’t want to leave them,” Pearl had started, her tone quivering while gazing at the floor. “But we need you and your powers...”

  
“I understand,” Sapphire had replied.

  
“You do?” Pearl gasped, “it was just that- I didn’t think you’d want to leave-“

  
“Of course I don’t. But I know I’ll be more useful if I can think clearly. I cannot let my emotions control me when I need to focus,” Sapphire breathed, allowing the spiral of anger and fear welling up within her to subside.

  
Pearl smiled weakly and squeezed her shoulder, but said nothing more. She blinked at Sapphire and she began to back away. Sapphire pulled the taller Gem into a hug.  
I forgive you. The Sardonyx incident is in the past.

  
Sapphire had then retreated and had been watching the waves since, the tides continuous and unrelenting. Just like this nightmare.

  
She shook her head. She disliked being so pessimistic.

  
“Keep it together, Sapphire,” she scolded herself. She had renounced Homeworld and survived through the Gem Wars. Her love had kept her strong, not just for Ruby but all the friends so dear they had become family.

  
She had to do this.

  
She reached her right hand in front of her, drawing the energies from the Earth with her. It helped her to channel her mind ready for future vision. In her mind’s eye, she felt the energies of life on this planet connect like a dot-to-dot, one big network humming with activity. That network was her conduit down the rivers of time. Following them was like following life’s natural cycle.

  
Everything was connected. Hope and despair. Peace and love. Beginnings and endings.

  
Her body started shaking as she saw a future unfolding, wrapping around her and leading her to where she needed to go. The rivers were opening up before her. She believed and she Saw.

  
She Saw two pairs of eyes glaring at her from the bottom of the ocean, rippling and furious. She Saw Steven’s bathroom door slam shut...did a green hand close it? Too late, the next vision surfed upon her. A hill where it was raining and there was a huge, ancient tree. A yellow field with the prettiest flowers where laughter rang in her ears.

  
Sapphire sagged to her knees. She had not tapped into the Earth’s energies so deeply in a very long time. She was not tired, but the effort had been strenuous to hold onto her touch to the rivers of time. The blue Gem rested there for a few moments, catching her breath and shook the sand flecks off of her dress.

  
She thought about that green hand. It was a similar off-colour to Steven and Ruby’s gems. Did that mean this condition could spread through the body? Ruby’s physical form was simply a manifestation, although Steven... As he was a hybrid and the only one of his kind, Sapphire had no idea what could potentially affect him.

  
She had to tell the others. And also to check on her Ruby and Steven.

  
However at that moment, she heard a voice echo across the beach.

  
“Steven!”

  
Sapphire flinched, snapping out of her reverie. The voice was familiar and a smirk appeared on her lips. Connie had certainly evaded her future vision.

  
As the figure of the young girl became clearer, Sapphire was about to call out a greeting when Connie shrieked.

  
“LAPIS!?” Connie pulled Rose’s sword from its scabbard (she may have been small but she was strong).

  
Sapphire’s mouth opened for a second before she closed it. Of course... she was not dissimilar looking to the water Gem who was currently fused with Jasper as the volatile Malachite.

  
“What are you doing here? Steven told me...” Connie started mumbling but then her eyes widened in concern. The sword gleamed threateningly at her side in the morning light.

  
“Please wait, Connie,” Sapphire said. She lifted herself off the balcony and gracefully floated down onto the sandy beach below.

  
“What happened to your wings?! Did Jasper do something to you? Where is she?” Connie’s voice rose again. Her head darted from side to side, looking for something that obviously wasn’t there.

  
Sapphire couldn’t help herself; she began chuckling. It was absurd. But she felt laughter course through her body. Most people recognised Ruby if they were split up. Garnet shared her hair after all. To some, she looked nothing like Garnet on her own. And so Connie would have no clue who she was.

  
Connie stared at her flabbergasted and the sword dropped from her hands.

  
“Wait, Connie,” Sapphire lifted her hands innocently above her head as she tried to control her giggling.

  
“When did you change form and get another gem, Lapis? It looks just like Gar-”

  
Sapphire smiled, “go on”.

  
“Like Garnet’s gem! Or one of her gems, the one on her right palm. Just like yours...OH. You’re not Lapis. And you’re definitely not Ruby. Hello, Sapphire?” she asked tentatively.

  
“Hello, Connie,” Sapphire greeted, confirming her identity.

  
“I came…as quickly as I could…” Connie fell onto her back, panting. Deep lines had settled under the girl’s eyes and she was breathing heavily.

  
Sapphire looked at Connie in admiration. She was so similar but different to Steven and she saw a lot of herself and Ruby in Rose’s son and his warrior friend.

  
“Where are Steven and Ruby and the others?” Connie asked, her face hidden by her hand that rested on her forehead. She had tried to wipe the sweat away but the effort had tired her out too much.

  
“Inside. Come on, they’ll be wondering where we are,” Sapphire smiled as she heard Amethyst calling out her name from upstairs. She offered a hand to Connie, who accepted it gratefully.

  
“Lean on me and be careful you don’t fall. We don’t want you getting hurt,” Sapphire spoke softly and Connie nodded, her expression filled with determination and her gaze in the direction of Steven’s bedroom.

  
Amethyst called her name again. Sapphire chuckled. Some things never changed. There was nothing wrong with her future vision after all.

  
She was strong enough to get through this, she knew it. And she knew she would become Garnet again with her lover. When the time was right.


End file.
